April 1, 2013 … Avoiding Being The Fool

Daily Berry Patch Devotions in 2013 - Day 91

Passage of the Day: 2nd Kings 6: 17-18 [in the context of verses 15-18[NLT] …
15 When the servant of the man of God got up early the next morning and went outside, there were troops, horses, and chariots everywhere.” Ah, my lord, what will we do now?” he cried out to Elisha. 16 “Don’t be afraid!” Elisha told him. “For there are more on our side than on theirs!” 17Then Elisha prayed, “O LORD, open his eyes and let him see!” The LORD opened his servant’s eyes, and when he looked up, he saw that the hillside around Elisha was filled with horses and chariots of fire. 18 As the Aramean army advanced toward them, Elisha prayed, “O LORD, please make them blind.” And the LORD did as Elisha asked. 
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Contextual Study of today’s passage: 2nd Kings, Chapter 6 [NLT] … Go to this link …

Reference Passage #2: Psalm 37: 30-31 : [Don’t become an April fool today!] …[NLT] … 
30 The godly offer good counsel; they know what is right from wrong. 
31 They fill their hearts with God’s law, so they will never slip from his path.

My Journal for Today: Today is April Fool’s Day, a day when we play practical jokes on people and try to show up their lack of discernment. I’m easy on this “day of fools;” because I’m gullible and easily fooled. Long ago, under the mentorship of a very wise Christian, I learned the wisdom of surrounding myself with wise, Godly people, especially people with Spirit-imparted gifts of discernment, … people who could help me see what is true, … what is Godly, … and what should be my course of decision-making and action in the face of my spiritual enemies, who are out to trip me up and show others just how foolish I can be.

Today, Os Hillman, by using the story of how Elisha helped his less-discerning servant see the tactics of God’s enemies so that the servant wouldn’t be made out to be a fool in the face of spiritual and temporal warfare. I charge any reader here to go back in today’s highlight passage in 2nd Kings 6 and see how the Spirit-led Elisha helped his young servant see what was going on their battle-fields of life so that they could see and find God’s protective hand.

 Do you have – or have you had – an Elisha in your life to help you avoid being an April Fool who gets tripped up by the tactics of our spiritual enemies, … Satan, the world, and our own deceitful hearts?

 Years ago, when I was most vulnerable to my own gullibility and lack of Spiritual discernment, I was given the sight-protection of a very wise mentor, who helped me see things – in the spiritual realms of life – I would never have been able to discern without his help and Godly guidance. He helped me – by discipling me in God’s truth and teaching me Spirit-led battle planning – to grow in spiritual discernment; and though I’m still not gifted with Spirit-led gifts of prophetic wisdom, I now know enough to surround myself with other Spiritually discerning people to help me see when I’m vulnerable in life.

 So, I ask any reader here – again – are you vulnerable, on this April Fool’s Day or any other day for that matter, to our enemies, who will stalk us to show us up as the fools we can be? (see 1st Peter 5: 8 and John 10: 10a) So, to avoid being an April fool today or any other day, the lesson from today’s devotional is to make sure that we have other Godly Elisha-types, … discerning counselors and mentors … surrounding us who can see where we need to walk in life, helping us through the pitfalls and minefields which will inevitably confront us.

My Prayer for Today … Lord, thank you for the Elishas in my life. … Amen